Applying for changes to land use

Overview

Municipalities create official plans that set out general planning goals and policies to guide future land use. They also pass zoning by-laws, which set out the rules and regulations that control development as it occurs.

To make a change to land use or to create new lots within Ontario, an applicant (for example, a developer) must make a planning application and seek approval from the appropriate decision maker.

The decision maker will review your application and make decisions about changes to land use. They will consider whether the planning application:

• follows the Planning Act
• is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement
• conforms to or does not conflict with provincial plans
• conforms with any official plans that are in effect

Before you apply

Identify who is responsible for making the decision

Planning approval authority for land use rests with either:

• your municipality
• a planning board
• the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

To find out who is responsible for making the decision on your planning application, consult the Planning Act approval authority chart . It tells you where approval authority rests for:

• official plans and amendments
• municipal zoning by-laws
• subdividing land into multiple lots (for example, a plan of subdivision)
• creating condominiums (plan of condominium)
• severing a piece of land (consents or validations)
• amendments to provincial plans (for example, the Parkway Belt West Plan)

Approval authority is either:

• prescribed in regulations
• directly assigned in the Planning Act
• delegated by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Set up a meeting

Contact your planning approval authority and set up a pre-consultation meeting to talk about the planning application you would like to make.

The pre-consultation meeting helps to open lines of communication and ensure:

• everyone involved knows up front what information will be required to support the application
• your planning application is complete, including any technical information
• decisions are made on time

How to apply

To apply for land use changes you must:

1. complete an application form
2. prepare a certified cheque or money order for the application fee
3. compile information from the pre-consultation meeting
4. submit the form, the fee and any additional information to your planning approval authority

Application forms

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has 6 application forms to choose from:

1. Official plan and official plan amendment
2. Plan of subdivision and condominium
3. Consent / land severance
4. Parkway Belt West plan amendment
5. Validation of title
6. Minister’s zoning order

1. Official plan and official plan amendment

Municipalities use the Official plan and official plan amendment form after they have adopted a new official plan or official plan amendment where the approval authority is the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Fees:

• Northern Ontario: $4,337
• Southern Ontario: $14,065

Application fees do not apply to all municipal submissions. Contact your region’s Municipal Services Office to find out more.

2. Plan of subdivision and condominium

Applicants use the Plan of subdivision and condominium form to request the division of land into multiple lots or create units that are part of a condominium corporation for areas where the approval authority is the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Fees:

• Northern Ontario: $4,278 + $100 per lot/block over 40 lots/blocks
• Southern Ontario: $11,721 + $100 per lot/block over 100 lots/blocks

3. Consent or land severance

Applicants use a Consent application to split one lot into two, add land to an existing lot, create easements (rights-of-way), or other situations involving leasing or mortgaging part of a property in areas where the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is responsible for making decisions on land severances.

Fees: $938

4. Parkway Belt West Plan amendment

For amendments to the Parkway Belt West Plan (a plan under the Ontario Planning and Development Act), complete the application for amendment to the Parkway Belt West Plan.

Fees: $7,209

5. Validation of title

Complete the validation of title application form to request that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing validate title to a property.

Fees: $938

6. Minister’s zoning order amendment

Complete the application for amendments to a Minister’s Zoning Order. A Minister’s Zoning Order controls the use of land and sets specific requirements for new development, such as minimum lot sizes, frontage, access and servicing requirements.

Fees: 

• Northern Ontario $2,344
• Southern Ontario $9,142

Application fees

Applications submitted without payment will not be processed.

Be sure to include a certified cheque or money order payable to the Minister of Finance along with your application form.

If you don’t know which fee to pay, find your region’s Municipal Services Office:

• northern municipalities are covered by our Sudbury and Thunder Bay offices
• southern municipalities are covered by our east, west and central offices

Other costs

As an applicant, you will also be required to cover the ministry’s costs for providing public notice (e.g. advertising) for:

• plans of subdivision or condominium
• minister’s zoning order amendments
• consents

• Parkway Belt West Plan amendments

Review and approval

Once your application is submitted and complete, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing will begin a detailed review.

An application is considered complete when:

• the fees have been paid
• it includes all the required information

If the application could impact another ministry, we will share material from your application with them. We will compile comments and questions and send them to you for a response.

Decision timelines

The Planning Act sets out timelines for approval authorities to make decisions:

• 120 days for official plans and official plan amendments 
• 90 days for zoning by-law amendments
• 120 days for plans of subdivision
• 90 days for land severances

If the decision takes longer, you can appeal the failure to make a decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal. Applicants and other parties can also appeal the final decision on some application types.

Appeals

The Ontario Land Tribunal is an independent administrative tribunal with responsibilities under the Planning Act to:

• hear appeals
• resolve land use disputes

The tribunal’s main role in community planning is to hold public hearings on appeals of planning decisions.

Planning Act approval authority: Planning boards